NEW DIRECTOR: Brown to head up county chamber

June 6, 2012

Doug Brown

Brown to serve as Whitley County Chamber of Commerce executive director

COLUMBIA CITY â€” The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce announced today the selection of Doug Brown to serve as the organizationâ€™s new executive director.
â€śFormer general manager of a local printing company and previous publisher of The Post & Mail newspaper, Brown brings great business experience and community connectivity to the position,â€ť said the county chamber in a press release.
â€śHaving worked in both large and small businesses in Whitley County, he is eager to utilize this knowledge to aid Chamber members in their growth and development.â€ť
One of Brownâ€™s first major projects will be coordinating the relocation of the chamberâ€™s offices, which will move from the current location at 201 N. Line Street in Columbia City.
Brown said today he hoped to make an announcement soon about the chamberâ€™s new location.
According to Orizon Real Estate, the building was purchased by Angela Grable-Garcia of Grable & Associates Realty. She said today she plans to move her offices to that location.
â€śWeâ€™re in the process of closing on the building,â€ť said Brown.
â€śWe are incredibly pleased to have Doug at the helm of the chamber, said Jennifer Zartman Romano, chamber board chairman.
â€śHe knows this community, our businesses and non-profits, like no other. This is an exciting time for the chamber, a point of transformation and growth and weâ€™re thrilled he will be part of what we have planned.
â€śWeâ€™ve spent months preparing as an organization and working on restructuring, refining and strategizing. Now, weâ€™re ready to move forward in a bold way as an organization.â€ť
For Brown, the new position is a labor of love.
â€śI am wholly invested in making my home a better place to live,â€ť he said. â€śThat begins with a strong business community. I understand that each business will have vastly different expectations of the chamber. Meeting those varied expectations will be the key to member satisfaction and growth.â€ť
Brown is a Churubusco native and a 1992 graduate of Indiana University. He and his wife, Larisa, a South Whitley native, are the parents of two sons, Chandler and Seth.
He is a current board member of the Columbia City Rotary Club, Passages Inc. and Churubusco Youth League.
Brown served as past president of the Columbia City Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He is also a previous Whitley County Literacy Council and Junior Achievement board member. He is an alumni member of Leadership Whitley County and previously served on the organizationâ€™s policy council.
Brown begins his new role at the Whitley County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.